Her Guardian Angel 4-Her Angel Series (5 page)

An
angel.

Or
perhaps a demon for tempting him so easily.

He cocked
his head to one side and followed her, unable to resist her silent
siren’s call. She looked back at him as she reached the glass door,
the evening light adding to her radiance, and it struck him that
she had never looked as beautiful as she did today. The usual
warmth in her look had increased until she shone with what he could
only conclude was happiness. She radiated it in waves that reached
through him, warming him too and bringing a smile to his face. He
had never seen her like this. She had been through a lot in life,
especially since deciding to leave home at eighteen. A string of
bad relationships had followed that, and poor luck with employment
and also with her family. She had lost her mother three years ago
and even though he hadn’t realised it at the time, he had felt for
her as he had watched her grieve, had desired to go to her and
offer her the comfort she clearly needed. Her family had neglected
to give it to her, or perhaps they hadn’t seen what he had. Around
them, she had put on a brave face, playing the role of the strong
daughter and giving comfort to others, taking none for
herself.

She
deserved so much better than this life that fate had given to
her.

If her
smile was because of him, if he was the cause of her happiness,
then he was glad.

He had
never cared much for mortals.

But he
was starting to think he cared for her.

He wasn’t
sure where that would lead though. Their worlds were separate and
he had always maintained his belief that they should forever remain
that way. Other angels he knew had fallen for mortals and forsaken
their position to be with them, but that wasn’t something that he
could do. His duty was his reason for living. He had been given
this existence in order to serve his master, not so he could
callously turn his back on his creator and the gift given to
him.

Marcus
surmised that it was his duty to watch over Amelia and protect her.
It was natural that he cared for her because of it. That was all
this feeling was. Compassion born of duty.

He cared
about her because he cared about his mission.

She
crooked her finger and Marcus obeyed, following her into the
colourful interior of the café. The scent of coffee filled his
nostrils, swirling in his senses, and stirred a curious hunger to
taste the liquid that went with it.

He
couldn’t.

He
wouldn’t dabble in such substances.

Not
again.

“What can
I get you?” Amelia said when he reached her at the glass cabinets
full of delicious looking pastries beside the counter and he stared
at the black boards on the wall, unsure of what any of it
meant.

He had
studied the mortal realm and knew more than most angels about
living on Earth and what things were. Most angels only knew mortal
inventions from the regular reports they received. Those fortunate
enough to watch over Earth in the pools in Heaven that recorded the
history of mortals had learned more about it than others, including
languages throughout the ages, and about food too. He had been
studying Amelia for her whole life and had come to know her
favourite foods, drinks, and all about the technology she regularly
used. In his month on Earth, he had learned how to use such modern
items too, and had indulged in tasting a lot of human foodstuffs
and drinks. Food was a necessity. Angels used vast amounts of
energy in the mortal realm, mostly expended on maintaining their
glamour, which is why he often opted for the less energy consuming
path of putting his wings away and donning mortal
clothing.

The
couple in front of them at the counter ordered. The female opted
for a latte and the male for a cappuccino. He searched for those on
the board behind the people serving the coffees and taking orders.
Latte and cappuccino fell under the coffee heading. He raised an
eyebrow again when a small footnote on the board declared that
coffee was also available decaffeinated. Marcus presumed that meant
they had removed the stimulant. He turned to Amelia.

“I am not
really a coffee drinker. It’s the caffeine… it keeps me
awake.”

Her grey
eyes widened and her lips parted. “There’s herbal tea.”

Tea
didn’t seem a very manly drink. He frowned.

“Decaffeinated means without caffeine?” It wasn’t exactly how
he had wanted to find out. Asking her what something meant was
bound to make him appear less appealing to her. He didn’t know
something so basic. How had he missed such things?

He
realised that Amelia always drank straight coffee. She had never
opted for anything foreign sounding or decaffeinated in all the
times he had watched over her. These past thirty years, he had been
so focused on her that he had only learned about the things that
she liked. Chinese food, Italian cooking, Spanish tapas, and
straight coffee. Sometimes a fruity shake, a smoothie they called
it, or some frozen coffee drink. Occasionally a glass of wine with
friends. Never beer or mead. He grimaced, stomach turning at the
memory of what too much mead could do to an angel.

“It’s not
quite without caffeine. I think they sort of extract it or
something. It leaves a hint of it behind.” Amelia didn’t look
sure.

Marcus
nodded. “Decaffeinated cappuccino then.”

It
sounded manly enough and he could handle any effect it might have
on him. He hadn’t tucked in his white linen shirt today because he
had wanted to feel the slight breeze, needing it to cool down in
the hot summer sun. The tail hung loose, covering his dark jeans to
the apex of his thighs. If the coffee produced any sort of negative
effect on him, he would be able to conceal it.

Amelia
ordered the drinks for him and even paid. He hadn’t noticed in time
to stop her, dropping more points in the manly stakes. He had
wanted to insist on paying so her trust in him would increase. It
seemed to work for the other men in the queue, gaining them smiles
from their females.

Chivalry,
he supposed. A code of honour he was familiar with. Did it only
take chivalry to gain a female’s favour?

He caught
Amelia looking around the coffee shop. There were a few tables free
on the buzzing inside, but some outside too.

“Why
don’t we sit in the sun?” he said before she could make a decision
and then added, “I will pick up the coffees while you find us a
table.”

She
nodded and smiled at him, a brilliant one that drew another hard
thump from his heart. At this rate, he wouldn’t need even a trace
of caffeine to embarrass himself. Whenever Amelia smiled at him,
her grey eyes warm with it, he wanted to reach out and brush the
straight lengths of her hair from her face so he could take it all
in. The feel of her skin beneath his fingers would definitely be
too much. When she had touched his hand last night, he had felt the
warmth of her caress for minutes after she had released him. In
fact, he could still feel it now if he focused hard enough on
remembering that moment, as though a ghost of her touch
remained.

The man
making the coffees pushed two white mugs towards him and said
something about decaffeinated. One looked frothy with a sprinkling
of chocolate on top and the other was straight white coffee.
Definitely their drinks. He took the two mugs and wove through the
patrons in the café, heading for Amelia where she waited for him at
a table in the sun.

The
evening was drawing on but the light was still warm on her face,
highlighting her soft features and shattering the momentary control
he had gained over his emotions. How was it that she could distract
him so easily?

He placed
the coffees down on the round dark metal table and took the seat
opposite her, studying her face and trying to keep his attention on
the conversation and what she was saying. It was impossible as he
looked at her, his knuckles throbbing with the memory of how she
had iced them for him, and how gently she had held his
hand.

Being
around her today was different. Was it because of last night? They
had never touched before. They had barely spoken a word to each
other beyond pleasantries on meeting in the hallway outside their
flats. She had rarely looked at him in the past.

But now
she was looking right at him, her gaze boring into his with such
intensity but such shyness that he couldn’t look away. Transfixed.
Mesmerised. Bewitched. Three words that sounded so innocent yet
felt so dangerous to him.

He
couldn’t allow things to head in this direction, but he felt
powerless to stop them.

Marcus
sipped his drink, making appropriate responses whenever he caught
what she was talking to him about and enjoying the slight buzz the
remaining trace of caffeine gave him. Not enough to cause adverse
effects on his body but enough that it created a tingle in all the
good places.

Amelia
was animated now but the shyness still lingered beneath her layers
of confidence, betraying that inside her tough exterior beat the
heart of a female, a woman that he was affecting by only sitting
and drinking coffee with her. Was this enough to gain her trust?
Would it satisfy his superiors or would they demand he took things
further?

He wasn’t
sure how he would respond to such an order. Drinking coffee with
her seemed innocent enough. He wasn’t seducing her or using her
feelings against her. He was merely being friendly and it was
forging a stronger connection between them. Every minute that
passed, each sip of coffee she took and smile she flashed, she was
growing more confident and more at ease around him.

The sun
bounced off the shop windows on the opposite side of the street and
played on her face and her body, stuttering as cars and red
double-decker buses broke the beams of warm light. Amelia didn’t
seem to notice. She continued to talk about small things such as
their neighbours, work and the weather. Idle conversation. He’d had
practice in that during previous missions on Earth and also from
his time in Heaven when he’d had to speak with angels he wasn’t
overly familiar with.

Her eyes
sparkled as she smiled again, overflowing with warmth and life,
gloriously radiant.

Marcus
forgot his coffee and just watched her, stealing this moment with
her, unable to believe that after all this time he was actually
speaking with her directly, talking to her like a mere mortal and
not her protector. It was a strange experience. He had never truly
spoken to a mortal before and the workings of her mind were
fascinating. She bounced around subjects so quickly that he
couldn’t keep up with the flow of conversation, and whenever he
fell behind, she smiled brightly and apologised.

Another
thing he had never noticed about her before last night.

He had
never seen her apologise so profusely to anyone.

She
paused in the middle of her conversation about a news programme she
had watched about the upcoming planetary alignment.

“Are you
sure last night didn’t wreck your sleep?” she said, concern in her
eyes as she leaned across the table, affording him a view down her
cream dress that he refused to take advantage of.

Marcus
held her gaze instead and smiled faintly. “Maybe a little. Have I
been… spacing out again?”

That was
what she had called it. Spacing out. He presumed that meant he was
currently occupying another galaxy. It seemed apt for his behaviour
over the past half an hour with her.

“I’m
sorry.” Amelia reached across the table and took hold of his left
hand, her touch jolting him. His gaze leapt down to her fingers.
Her thumb softly caressed his knuckles and her fingertips brushed
his palm, bringing everything he had felt last night back to a
rolling boil inside him. His pulse raced and his breathing
quickened.

Desire?

Couldn’t
be.

But even
as he stared at their joined hands he couldn’t form a
denial.

He
inhaled sharply, trying to catch his breath and instead catching
her sweet fragrance on the dusty warm air. Blood pounded in his
temples and he could only watch the gentle sweep of her thumb
across his fingers in abject fascination.

Images of
her flashed across his wide eyes, dressed in her satin slip or in
the tight summer dress she wore now, twirling and spinning towards
him until her hands pressed against his chest and she was smiling
right up into his eyes, her lips parting in invitation.

No.

He had
never cared about anyone.

Had never
desired a female.

He
couldn’t start now.

***

Chapter 4

Amelia
sat back in her seat when Marcus took his hand away from hers and
leaned back in his chair. She toyed with her slim black mobile
phone for a moment to distract herself from the disturbed look on
Marcus’s face. When he didn’t stop glaring at her, she put her
phone down on the round dark metal table and nursed her drink,
feeling incredibly foolish for taking hold of his hand. She sipped
her coffee, grimacing internally as the cold liquid touched her
tongue. Nothing was going right for her today. No, some things had
been going right. She hadn’t been imagining the way Marcus’s eyes
had lingered on her body, or how quick he was to smile at her
whenever she smiled at him. Those smiles had reached his beautiful
silver-blue eyes too, lighting them in a way that wasn’t fake and
that told her they were real this time, not the usual polite ones
he forced whenever someone spoke to him.